BILLERICAY: Wine buffs date on fourth plinth

By aleys

SOME have bared all and others have juggled with flames while the more reserved characters have merely watched the world go by as they waited for their 60 minutes to pass.

Wine maestro Brett Jones wants to make sure he uses his hour of fame wisely and will be imparting his expert knowledge on the world in more ways than one.

As he takes up position on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth he will be armed with five bottles of wine, a loudspeaker and a very strong message.

Luckily for Brett, 65, of Station Road, Billericay, he has been given the 8 to 9pm time slot on Monday night – the perfect time to sample a fine red or a chilled white.

"Any time on the plinth would be interesting, but wine tasting wouldn't have seemed quite right in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning."

Brett owned Webber's Wine Bar, in Billericay, for 25 years until 2005, and has continued to work in the world of wine, running educational tastings for wine clubs an d other groups.

But as well as sharing his tasting notes with the crowds in the square and those tuned in to the webcam, he also wants to share some more serious knowledge with his audience.

Having received treatment for prostate cancer in 2006 he wants to relay facts about the diagnosis rate in the countries that his chosen bottles of wine come from.

"Prostate UK have also given me the death rates and in some of the countries I have chosen prostate cancer is the second biggest killer for men."

Brett is one of 2,400 people selected from more than 30,000 applicants to appear as part of Anthony Gormley's One & Other on the Fourth Plinth.

"I went into the ballot right from the start because I think what they are trying to do is excellent."

The Fourth Plinth is being manned until October 14.

Applicants can still register at www.oneandother.co.uk